MLS Cup TV Broadcasting and Playoff Format (split from MLS Cup post-game thread)

I agree! I think there is logic behind giving the higher seeded team some advantage in the playoffs. But when it comes down to a one game Final, Home field is too much. If the Final had ended up at BBVA that would be hugely unfair to any opponent. Although the immediate counter argument to a home and home is that the Home and Home "advantage" didn't work during these playoffs. The higher seeds lost the first games and couldn't recover at home.

This sounds logistically horrifying, but how about a Home and Home final. The higher seeded team chooses whether they want to play the first or second game at home?

 

No team would say no to being able to lift at home.

 

Speaking for myself, I'd be thrilled to have watched Brad hoist the Cup on TV if they had played a home game and taken a 3-0 lead into LA. Just sayin.

 

I think we all would...

 

My position on homefield is this: I have no problem with it except for the fact that MLS runs an unbalanced schedule and therefore the best record or most points is not a true indicator of who had the better regular season when comparing teams between conferences.

I think in the old days of MLS (even in NASL we had Soccer Bowl), the MLS Cup Final was used as sort of a league-wide celebration, sponsor shindigs, meetings, etc. like the NFL uses the Super Bowl Week. But going to a one-game home host final probably erases most of those types of meetings and events because you can't logistically plan those with only two weeks notice (and what happens if Columbus hosts?? what major sponsor wants to spend the last weekend in November in Columbus?). So the non-competition usefulness of MLS Cup seems lessened. All-Star Game probably has taken over for that sort of stuff.

I don't see them changing it but it wouldn't bother me. UEFA CL does the one-game thing. Seems like most other competitions use the two-leg format (even in WC half-spot qualifiers they are home & home).

 

It was pointed out last time this came up that the World Cup, FA Cup, the CL, EL, DFB-Pokal, Copa Del Rey etc all end in a single game cup final. The Coppa Italia eliminated the two-leg final in 2008. As far as soccer goes, most cup finals are single leg affairs.

 

But most of those are not crowning the season champion of their leagues. They are all parallel season tournaments. It is what it is, but most of those tournaments have logistical or date requirements that make the final a one-game necessity. MLS doesn't really have that restriction now that there isn't a predetermined location and ancillary events.

 

Which ones that I listed were you referring to?

 

I'll answer for Westside...all of them. The tournaments you cite are equivalent to U.S. Open Cup, or International tournaments. They are not "League Championship Finals" as is MLS Cup.

 

know what is funny about that-The Bruce was the guy throwing the biggest stink at the beginning of the season about this. Ironic isn't it.

 

Actually, Westside was the one who brought up UEFA Champions League in the first place. But let's take it in the other direction. Which leagues do you think of when you think of two-leg league championship finals besides Mexico?

 

IIRC, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia all do two-legged championship finals. (Brazil had them as well, but has eliminated playoffs.) There may be some others in Central America, but those are the ones in South America that come to mind.

 

No facts please, it's not helping his point.

 

Ask a question, get an answer. Defensive much? I'm still waiting to hear Westside's thoughts.

 

I think it was the '96 or '97 Copa Libertadores where America de Cali was playing River Plate in a two-leg Final. Those home-and-home games are intense in those rocking, smoking, flared-up stadiums. I was just telling my wife how exciting and tense those games can be.

 

The Cup did a 1.4 locally. That doesn't seem like great numbers but I posted this in the NA thread:
http://blog.chron.com/sportsmedia/2...s-dynamo-rating-doubles-that-of-jazz-rockets/

People should look at those numbers and gain a little perspective. I alluded to the fact that "what a good rating" should be is very different today then as little as five years ago for sports other than football.

Locally in Houston, The Cup beat every sporting event on except the (1) SEC title game (network TV) (2) The Texas game (network TV) (3) Oklahoma game (ESPN). That includes a 0.36 for the Chelsea game on the deuce.

Nationally, the Cup was behind (1) SEC (2) Big 12 game (3) Big Ten Game (4) ACC game (5) Oklahoma game (6) Kentucky basketball

Anyone see a trend? MLS is not going to outdraw football in this country so one year, I would like to see how we do not competing against it. Oh and MLS more than tripled the Chelsea game.

 

Was it really on ESPN Deportes? It wasn't supposed to be. It was on TeleFutura so it should not have been on Deportes.

 

I watched it on Telefutura.

Dom and Landon did their interviews in espanol.

 

I recorded it on TeleFutura. I don't have cable.

TeleFutura is owned by Univision.

 

Maybe playing the game at night on a different night would help. That was a terrible timeslot and MLS should have pushed for something different. I mean ABC's college football that day up against the SEC game was Boise State-Nevada and Cincy-Uconn, two guaranteed loser matchups, they didn't even try to compete with the SEC title game.

 

How about Wednesday night? I'm sure that would have worked perfectly for our 2000 traveling fans.

 

go ask anyone at MLS HQ what would matter more to them - 2000 travelling fans or a higher TV rating? 100% would say a higher TV rating.